OK, so there are a lot of hams who don't use LoTW. Even some of the ARRL
higher-ups don't use it. But nobody has touched on one of the reasons that
it's not being used.
For some folks it's just plain hard.
Now before you get all puffed up and start spouting off about how easy it is
and how you did it without any problems, let me tell you the story from the
perspective of many hams.
My Dad is 70 years old. He didn't get his ham license until he was in his
60s, but he learned the code and passed his General exam. My Mom did too. I
think my parents are smart people - my Dad is a minister and my Mom is a
retired nurse. Once in a while I chat with them on 40m SSB as I drive to
work. It's cool that they pursued and received their ham tickets. But the
subject of computer logging and exporting ADIF files and getting (and
renewing) certificates and keeping up with passwords and signing logs and
uploading them - well, as a whole that's just beyond their ken. Unless
somebody steps them through it all, it just ain't gonna happen, and even
then they won't understand the whole process.
Now my parents do have a computer. They can get email and surf the web and
type letters. But things like USB and FTP and mp3 files and CD burning are
not part of their world, just as exporting and signing ADIF files are not
part of their world.
A generation or two from now I suspect pretty much all hams will use LoTW or
something like it. But there are a LOT of people like my parents, and some
of them are hams who can build transmitters and copy CW at 40 wpm. A lot of
YOU can't do that, but you're gonna bust their chops because they're not
using computers to your satisfaction?
I use and like LoTW. I hope more people will use it. But some can't or
won't, and they're not poor operators because of it. Should we give ARRL
folks grief because they don't use it? Should we give them grief if they
don't contest, or work RTTY, or CW, or whatever else you think is important?
Some of you need to get off of your high horses and get on the air.
73,
Doug, K4DSP
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